Denture Creams May Cause Neurologic Damage

Denture Creams May Cause Neurologic Damage

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the makers of Super Poligrip, acknowledged in a
consumer advisory that long-term, excessive use of their zinc-containing products may result
in health risks including neurological symptoms and blood problems such
as anemia. According to a recently-published study, the use of denture
creams may be linked with neuropathy, a condition in which nerves become damaged.

Are you a longtime user of dental adhesives who recently noticed a lack
of energy, numbness in your extremities, nausea, and a tendency to get
sick more often than you used to? These may be the symptoms of a potentially
debilitating condition known as zinc poisoning, or Hyperzincuria.
Hyperzincuria is an excess of zinc in the blood that can be caused by the use of denture creamscontaining zinc. It can lead to anemia and neurological deficiencies that
can eventually develop into a lack of sensation and control in your limbs.

Early symptoms of hyperzincuriainclude:

Anemia, often first identified as chronic fatigue

Poor healing

Decreased immune system response

Denture Creams & Zinc

Zinc poisoning is very rare. The majority of our zinc intake comes from
food and generally ranges from 5 to 16 mg per day, with 11 mg recommended
for men and 8 mg for women daily. In the past, only people who worked
with zinc or drank contaminated water suffered from zinc poisoning. However,
the use of denture creams represents a dangerous increase in the amount
of zinc a person may ingest on a daily basis.

According to chemical analysis, every gram (about the weight of a paper
clip) of Fixodent and Poli-Grip denture creams contains 17 to 34 mg, or
more than double the amount of zinc a person may consume from all other
sources. With the dental adhesive being used in the mouth, some is ingested
directly, and zinc may be absorbed through the gums as well, leading to
a dangerous excess of zinc in the body. Since the
National Academy of Sciences stated in 2001 that the largest daily tolerable zinc intake is 40 mg,
so a person who accidentally consumes even a gram of denture cream on
a daily basis is likely taking in a toxic dose of zinc, making denture
cream a potentially very
dangerous product.

Denture Creams & Hyperzincuria

Because of the rarity of zinc poisoning, the cause often remains elusive,
but in the August 26, 2008 issue of the Journal Neurology, researchers from the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center identified four patients with neurological deficiencies as a result of
Hyperzincuria and correlated their symptoms with the use of denture creams.
After conducting an analysis of their denture creams and discovering the
high levels of zinc, they took the patients off the denture cream and
discovered that zinc levels dropped for three out of four of the patients.
However, treatment only led to an improvement of symptoms in two of the
four patients.

The main danger associated with high zinc levels is resulting low levels
of copper in the bloodstream. This results in degeneration of the nervous
system, with effects similar to multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating
disorders, including:

Loss of sensation in the limbs

Loss of control of the limbs

Weakness in the limbs

Long-term, often irreversible disability

Other effects of reduced copper concentrations include:

Anemia

Poor healing

Reduced immune system function

Denture Cream Lawsuits

Denture creams are not required to carry warnings about the potentially
dangerous levels of zinc they contain, and many people are unaware of
the potentially toxic effect of using these products. However, manufacturers
of these products have a responsibility to investigate the potential toxicity
of the ingredients they put in the mouths of users. Heavy metal poisoning
is a commonly known condition, and denture cream manufacturers should
have investigated the potentially toxic effect of products that contain
such high levels of a heavy metal. Thus, these manufacturers may be held
liable under product liability law.

A successful product liability lawsuit can bring compensation for the following damages:

Past and ongoing medical expenses

Loss of earning potential

Pain and suffering

Diminished quality of life

To learn whether you may be able to get compensation for your injuries,
please schedule a free consultation with the
product liability attorneys at Kalfus & Nachman, today. Our Norfolk defective product lawyers
stand ready to hold manufacturers of dental creams accountable for their
negligence and your injuries. We proudly serve the
Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Roanoke, and
Virginia Beach, VA area.

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